Thread: Nebraska:Hispanics, Matney in tiff over radio show comments

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Hispanics, Matney in tiff over radio show comments

By Michele Linck, Journal staff writer

DAKOTA CITY -- A week after Dakota County Edward Matney was heard on KSCJ radio's morning talk show "Open Line" discussing his plan to form a county task force to tackle the problems of gangs, graffiti and drugs, which he said increase with illegal immigrant populations, he had an issue of his own.

Seven people, most of them leaders in the local Hispanic business community and all of them U.S. citizens or possessing permanent resident status, were outside Matney's office demanding to see him as a group. They included Norma DeLaO, Tony Gomez, Adriana Dungan, Lupita Lopez, Sonia Villalpando, Abril Garcia, all of Dakota County, and Teresa Wolff of Woodbury County.

DeLaO of South Sioux City said she had set up individual appointments for several of them with Matney's office, but the group then decided they wanted to meet with him together.

Matney, speaking through Chief Deputy County Attorney Deb Fergen, repeatedly declined to see them as a group, but continued to offer DeLaO her 10 a.m. slot. She declined and the group left the courthouse.

"We decided he was not going to dictate to us how we were gonna meet," she said. "This is a public office."

In his letter Tuesday confirming the individual appointments, Matney also wrote, "As we discussed, each person will need to bring a form of State of Nebraska identification bearing a photograph and current address..."

DeLaO said Matney had met with all the same people as a group 18 months ago to tell them his office wanted to be more open to the Latino community and didn't ask for any photo i.d. She said she felt "very offended" by that requirement Wednesday.

'Angry and scared'

Gomez, a Jackson, Neb., businessman, said, "We just want to know what is going on. Maybe he has something good for the community. We just want to visit with him and see his plans. We're willing to talk to him if he gives us the opportunity." He suggested the group get on the agenda of the Dakota County Commission.

DeLaO said Matney's comments to "Open Line" host Randy Renshaw made her "angry and scared all at once."

She said Matney used "illegal" and "Mexican" interchangeably and defended it on the air "given the demographics," after Dungan called in to protest. (More than 95 percent of the county's immigrants are from Mexico, but DeLaO said there are also illegal Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Somalians in the county.)

She said that when asked on-air if there should be some Latinos on the task force, Matney replied that they probably wouldn't want to be on it because they "tend to be militant and tend to take the side of illegal immigrants.

"We know there's an immigration problem," she said. "We're not stupid. We know you break the law when you cross (the border). The thing that makes me angry and scared is, he makes those kinds of comments and he's gonna create anger among the community. Who's to say who's illegal and legal? You can't tell just by looking at someone. How are you gonna tell by a 'government issued i.d., which a driver's license is, that I'm legal? Or not?"

Matney sent out a statement Wednesday detailing the scheduled appointment plans, but did not return two phone calls and one in-person request made at his office to have questions answered.: He did not respond immediately to after-hours e-mailed questions.

'Not at all.'

Renshaw said the station doesn't keep recordings of the two-hour program because of computer storage limitations. He played for the Journal four clips from the show that he used in subsequent news reports, none of which included the statements cited by DeLaO.

Asked Wednesday if he felt uncomfortable about racial issues in any of Matney's comments, Renshaw said, "Not at all."

He said Matney called him requesting to be on the show. "I agreed because it sounded like news," Renshaw said. "I don't know of any county attorney around that's wanted to respond to illegal immigration, undocumented workers, drugs, gangs, that kind of thing, on the local level.

"He didn't have a plan," he said. "He just wanted to get feedback from the community at large. That's how I perceive the time he spent on "Open Line."

Renshaw said the only feedback he received later on the program came from DeLaO, who wanted a copy of it, and from one television reporter.

In his written statement Wednesday, Matney said he remains interested in hearing from Dakota County and area residents on the subject if illegal immigration and its impact on the county's criminal justice system.

Seven people, most of them leaders in the local Hispanic business community and all of them U.S. citizens or possessing permanent resident status, were outside Matney's office demanding to see him as a group.

Demand demand demand...that's all these people ever do! I'm sick of their demands.
I DEMAND THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE WHO IS ILLEGAL LEAVE MY COUNTRY RIGHT NOW!!!

I've come to the point that anytime you anger these idiots and put fear into them, you must be doing something right. Maybe if they stopped breaking the law, they wouldn't have anything to be worried about.

Q. How can you tell from a drivers license ho islegal or illegal?

A. Easy do not give drivers licenes to illegals.

http://www.ktiv.com/News/index.php?ID=4282

Hispanics Upset About County Attorney's Radio Comments
Offended, and upset. That's reaction from some people who take issue with what they say they heard from a public official from Dakota County, Nebraska, during a recent local radio talk show segment.

Monday, they came to the Dakota County Board of Commissioners to speak out about it. They let the officials know they felt Dakota County Attorney Ed Matney had singled out people from one nation when he talked about the possibility of forming a local task force to address concerns about illegal immigration.

Norma De La O, Dakota County Resident, says, "Some of the things Mr. Matney talked about was an initiative to curb illegal immigrations, which is fine. We know it's a problem and there are concerns regarding that. But he made some strong comments regarding Mexicans and Mexico."

Ed Matney, Dakota County Attorney, says,"I didn't specifically talk about targeting Mexicans as illegal aliens. My concern is illegal aliens in general, from wherever they come, and we have plenty here."

The chairman of the Dakota County Board of Commissioners says the issue is between the county attorney and the group who came to speak to the board Monday.

Updated: September 11, 2006, 7:31 pm

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She supports Dakota County attorney's efforts



SIOUX CITY -- Edward Matney, the highest-ranking law enforcement official in Dakota County, Neb., recently went on a local radio talk show to ask for suggestions from the public on forming a citizen task force to stem the ever-increasing tide of crime, gangs, graffitti, and drug use and sales in Dakota County. The increase appears statistically proportionate to the constant influx of illegal immigrants into Dakota County.

Frankly, I'd like to know why the residents of Woodbury County haven't had the same invitation from our county attorney?

The minute Mr. Matney used the words "illegal immigrants" and "Mexicans" in connection with these increased social problems, hackles were raised and the "race card" was pulled from the bottom of the deck. A delegation of local Hispanic community leaders showed up at his office en masse, demanding to be seen immediately. Separate appointments had already been made for various members of the same group, but they decided to descend on his office all at once without an appointment.

Why would anyone who is a citizen of the United States or an alien with legal status fear having an appointed official enforce the laws which were passed to protect the lives and rights of us all? The safety, security and sovereignty of the United States of America is being compromised by an unrelenting invasion from a foreign country.

We are Americans, first and foremost, not Republicans, Democrats or some kind of hyphenated-hybrids. Our loyalty lies with this nation, our nation, not our various nations of origin. -- Sheila R. Simmons



Read Comments >
Steve wrote on September 13, 2006 8:33 AM:
"Mr. Matney never condemned all "Mexicans". He never said he wanted to run that group out of the county, and he was not the one to make this a racial issue. He did state that 95% of the illegal immegrants were coming through Mexico. This was made a racial issue through the publicity stunt conducted by Ms. De LaO. All of this leads one to wonder if the vast majority (in this case 95%) of the illegal immegrants were of African, Asian, or European decent, if she and what percentage of the portion of the hispanic community the represents would be so vocal on the issue. If there were no illegal aliens the legal immigration process would have to be streamlined to fill the need for workers. So, it is infact the illegal aliens and not racism that is hurting the efforts to reform legal immigration."

Mark S. wrote on September 13, 2006 7:02 AM:
" I believe that Mr. Matney is trying to do the right thing, And I support his efforts."

whytopointfingers wrote on September 12, 2006 2:39 PM:
"The point is not who defend the illegal or legal immigrants, the point here is that Mr. Matney, didn't say what was his point or his goal with a task force. If he wants to stop the crimes and the drug use, he will have to keep in mind the entire community, no just a portion of it. There's good and bad apples in every culture and race, otherwise look on the owners of the Stereo Town, even their parents were involved on the money laundering. In my opinion what Mr. Matney did wasn’t very professional an ethical, why did he went to a talk show instead of holding a press conference with all the media. We want a safety community but that doesn’t mean to point fingers on minorities, I’m pretty sure they want to live in a safe place, too. "

Harry wrote on September 12, 2006 7:09 AM:
"Amen, Sheila! And I am certain that when Mr. Matney used words like "illegal immigrants" or "Mexicans", it was because he is fully aware of which sector of the population overcrowds the Dakota County Jail and court system. I also have wondered who would defend and illegal immigrant, unless it was another illegal immigrant. Makes you wonder. "

More than 95 percent of the county's immigrants are from Mexico, but DeLaO said there are also illegal Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Somalians in the county.)

I know they brought in alot of Legal Somalians to the area. But I have been there and you can bet there's alot of illegal latinos. Areas that barely had any crime are up to their necks in it now. Yes...they had DUI's and cases of spousal abuse etc. But violent crime (meaning murder, rape, armed robery etc.) and drugs increased in shocking amounts and this is one area they simply took over.

These Hipanics continue to confuse illegal aliens with Hispanic citizens. The fact that 85% of the ILLEGAL ALIENS in this country are hispanic has nothing to do with hispanic citizens of this country unless those citizens are tring to build an imported power base for their own political ambitions.